


x. bruises

by tempestaurora



Series: it's okay, we're okay [whumpvember 2018] [10]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Whump, Whumptober, i guess, its the May's Boyfriend Hurts Peter Trope, mentions of domestic assault
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-10
Updated: 2018-11-10
Packaged: 2019-08-21 13:52:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16577759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tempestaurora/pseuds/tempestaurora
Summary: “You are May’s number one priority, you know that.”“She deserves to be happy.”“She does,” Tony agreed. “But you make her happy. And I want you to consider this for a minute, okay, because maybe this is something that’ll be important to remember in future, too.” Tony moved from his work, turning his stool so he faced Peter dead on. “If he was hitting you now, what makes you think he wouldn’t hit May later?”





	x. bruises

**Author's Note:**

> basically i couldn't think of anything for today so i just chose a trope we've all read before and i wrote the aftermath to it because i never see anyone write the important words "if someone hits you, why wouldn't they hit may too?" like,,,, i always understand peter's motives in these fics, but it just goes to show that he doesn't realise that if may's boyfriend would hit him, then one day they'll probably hit her too, and i just think that's a really important life lesson that people should learn
> 
> if someone you care about hits your friend, your sibling, your parent - what's to say they won't hit you too?
> 
> anyway, that's Bethany's Important Life Lesson of the month, stay safe, don't read this fic if you think the mentions of assault will be triggering, have a nice day.

Tony didn’t find out because Peter wanted him to, because Peter, decidedly, _didn’t want him to._ Peter didn’t want to ruin May’s happiness with Jason, her new boyfriend, so he’d planned to keep the way Jason seemed to despise his very existence a secret. Jason, Peter figured, didn’t want kids – or, at least, didn’t want _May_ to have a kid that wasn’t his, despite Peter being her nephew and curling up into as much of a non-burden as he could manage at all times.

But Tony found out because Peter was careless and rolled up his sleeves, displaying the mottled blue-purple bruises Jason had left on his arm that morning before Peter could leave. And Tony had frozen, placed down the tool in his hand and carefully moved to Peter’s side, taking his hand gently and holding the injury to the light.

“Who did this to you?” Tony had asked, quietly, carefully, every inch of his being ready to explode on command. Peter had floundered and reached for answers, but he was a bad liar above all else, and soon everything came tumbling down. Jason and the time he yelled until Peter cried. Jason and the way he grabbed his arm like he meant to break it. Jason and the way he made May _so damn happy._

They waited until May’s shift was over before confronting Jason in the apartment, Tony threatening him far beyond necessity but just for his own joy, eventually, at seeing the asshole squirm. And May held Peter so tightly, whispering a thousand apologies into his ear, tears dampening her cheeks.

They stayed at the Tower that night, in case Jason came back against all sense, and Peter was glad, because he didn’t feel like staying at the apartment anyway.

He went to bed when May sent him and waited for her to settle in her own room before leaving again. Peter didn’t like the quiet in there. Didn’t like the way he wasn’t tired, couldn’t sleep, couldn’t breathe, when he was thinking about a thousand things that all shuddered with nerves.

“Shouldn’t you be asleep?” Tony asked without looking up from his work, when Peter entered the lab.

“How’d you know it was me?”

“You’re the only other person in the building with access to this lab, kid,” Tony replied, pulling his hand out from where he was elbow deep in an Iron Man foot, and turning on his stool. “Can’t sleep?”

Peter shrugged, pulling up a stool and wheeling it to Tony’s desk, where Tony let out a small sigh.

“It’s been a rough day, Pete,” he said, and Peter mentally awarded him the prize for Understatement of The Century. “Tomorrow will be better.”

They fell quiet and Tony eventually turned back to his work, Peter propping himself up on the desk to watch him connect wires and tear out a broken chunk of machinery. Eventually, Peter was sick of the silence, sick of the thoughts in his head and he wondered if letting them out might relieve the pressure.

“Do you think I’m weak?” Peter asked, and he caught Tony’s eyes flicker to him before looking back to his work. “I mean, I’m Spiderman, you know? And I couldn’t stand up against him. In fact – I can’t stand up against bullies at all. Sure, I mean, it’s different with Flash, you know, because if he didn’t bully me he’d bully someone else who couldn’t handle it as well as I could, but Jason-” Peter took a breath, a deep frown sinking into his face. “He scared me. A lot. But May-”

“Peter,” Tony interrupted. “You are May’s number one priority, you know that.”

“She deserves to be happy.”

“She does,” Tony agreed. “But _you_ make her happy. And I want you to consider this for a minute, okay, because maybe this is something that’ll be important to remember in future, too.” Tony moved from his work, turning his stool so he faced Peter dead on. “If he was hitting you now, what makes you think he wouldn’t hit May later?”

“He loved her-”

“So?” Tony asked. “If he _truly_ loved her, would he have hit her nephew? No. Pete, if someone’s willing to hurt someone else, you can’t be sure they won’t hurt you, too.”

Peter chewed on the inside of his cheeks, not wanting to look at Tony’s eyes and so settling his gaze on his shoulder. Tony ducked his head for a minute before looking back, unsure if Peter was even letting the words in.

“So my Dad, Ye Olde Mighty Howard Stark, was an ass,” Tony said. “Just a dick, pure and simple. He used to hit my Mom when I was little – it wasn’t a lot, just when he got drunk and angry – but he still did it. And my Mom dealt with it, she put up with it, she loved him, you know? And she thought it would be okay until one day, I was like, nine or ten, and he hit me, too. Just the once, and she _lost it_. Because she had trusted that Howard loved our family enough not to do that-” he cut himself off with a sharp sigh and leaned back.

“You’re not weak,” Tony said, turning back to his work. “You’re anything but weak, and I will never think poorly of you, kid. And if anyone’s causing you trouble, I want to think you’ll come to me about that and not suffer in silence, whether it’s Jason or that kid at your school. Alright?”

Peter hummed his agreement, half-hearted, before Tony pushed a tool into his hand, rolled his chair along a little and tugged on Peter’s to share the desk with him.

“Take this,” Tony said, handing him a small piece of circuitry. “Can you split the rubber at the ends of the wires for me? Actually, just cut it all off. Safety’s for pussies.”

Peter scoffed out a laugh and got started, the two them working side by side. Occasionally, he caught Tony looking over, not at his work but at the fading bruises on his arm or the pale shade of his skin. But they kept working, music filtering quietly into the background, Tony handing Peter bits and pieces to do and taking them back when complete to fit inside the armour.

Eventually, Peter found his voice again, just for a moment. Maybe it was the lab, or the safety that he felt next to Tony, or maybe it was the edge and pressure of the day, finally melting from his muscles.

“Thanks, Mr Stark,” he said, eyes on his work. “Really.”

“Anytime, Peter,” Tony replied, quiet and distracted. “And you know, May won’t listen to it from me, but the two of you are welcome to stay in the Tower for as long as and whenever you like.”

“Yeah?”

Tony hummed and something sparked in the armour, but he didn’t take notice of it. “Yeah, gets a little lonely with just me and Pep, you know? Just think about it, alright?”

“I will,” Peter replied, and he would.

**Author's Note:**

> tomorrow: hypothermia (aka, the longest and one of the best?? prose-wise?? so far??)


End file.
